• Think about your target audience. Who is most likely to be willing to participate or donate money or resources to your charity? Are they working professionals, parents at a school, or people that belong to a church? Write down your key audiences.

• Catalog your resources. Write down how many volunteers you have, how much money you have to work with, and any venues that you can easily or cheaply obtain for your event.

• Set a budget and a financial goal. Think about how much money you have to spend and how much money you are trying to raise with your fundraiser and make sure to add money to your cost so that you make a profit for your charity. Have someone that is good with numbers help you if you struggle with this.

• Pick a day and time where people are most likely to be able to participate. Weekends are probably the best time, depending on the type of fundraiser that you’re going to host. Also, plan several hours for the event so you have as much time as possible to make money. Also, pick the day well in advance so you have plenty of time to plan and execute the event.

• Market your event like crazy. Start spreading the word in the form of flyers, newsletters, emails, direct mail letters, online marketing and social media. Any way that you can spread the word, immediately get the word out about your event and be sure to follow up using the same method a week prior to the event.

• Break the event into smaller steps and create a plan. Break down the entire thing into small and actionable steps and start delegating ahead of time to your volunteers. Gather your supplies and have a meeting with your volunteers to go over your action plan.